51 - Green Lightning
Extended Holiday
Ch 51: Green Lightning
Act 5
Morning on the third day of the campout found the seven ponies on a short hike, eventually leading them across a twisted road over foothills. They finally came to what seemed to be their main destination. From miles up in the sky liquid rainbow fell to the ground in a shimmering waterfall. Standing at its foot, the six stared up in awe. Hammer Strike maintained his flat expression.
“I call sister teams! Last one to make it to the falls is a moldy carrot!” Sweetie Belle called out excitedly.
“Ugh,” Rarity groaned. “If you insist.” Even as she spoke her pace began to move from a slow stride to a mild trot to a full blown charge. “It is so on!” she said as the three groups charged off.
Hammer Strike simply rolled his eyes and gave a smirk as he continued at his own pace towards their destination.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo shot into the sky with Rainbow using a hoof to lift the smaller pegasus. The others in the group found themselves at the foot of the falls enjoying the scenery.
“My, it certainly is beautiful.” Rarity gazed at them in awe
“Certainly is,” Hammer Strike replied as he looked around. “So this is the final destination?” He asked aloud.
“Yessiree,” Applejack nodded. “You can never get tired of seeing it no matter how often you come here,” she said in her country accent.
“So much inspiration.” Rarity sighed. “I can’t wait to return to the boutique.”
“I, on the other hoof, can wait to return to New Unity,” Hammer Strike replied. “Then again, I might have more papers to sign now…”
Pensword smiled as he looked over at Grif. “Well, this is fun.” He let out a small chuckle. “That will be…” he paused as he looked around. “Uh… I just thought I heard my cell phone ringing, but the battery died. And I left it back in New Unity.” He shook his head. “That was crazy.”
“You know, between the three of us we probably have some decent computing power. We could rig some sort of small laptop or something,” Grif noted.
“Yeah.” He paused. “Oh, and I have the entire Apollo eleven program on my phone. It is crazy what computing power is in our pockets.” He was so glad the train car was empty. He hadn’t been able to talk technology in ages. “Imagine how the world will look when we get home for a visit.”
“Who knows how long we…” Grif was cut off as something loudly slammed against the outer wall. “Well, Derpy’s here with the mail.”
Pensword paused and quickly moved to the window to open it it as he poked his head out. “What? Derpy what are you doing? You can deliver the mail to New Unity!” Pensword shouted over the wind as he tried to find the mail mare.
A familiar blonde maned pegasus suddenly came up flying as fast as she could. “Priority one letter!” she said somewhat strained as she held out an envelope with a weird looking green seal that resembled a treble clef and a crystalline ribbon.
Pensword blinked in shock as he took the letter from Depry. “You take care of yourself. You can land on the observation deck to rest if you want.” Derpy simply saluted and flew off as fast as her wings could carry her. Pensword looked to the letter in his hoof. He paused as he blinked. “Oh my. It seems to be a letter from the Crystal Empire.” He sat down and immediately proceeded to read.
After a time, he looked up to face his companion. “It seems that we have our prayers answered again. The Gryphon Empire has asked the Crystal Empire to reconnect, and Bellacosa, my little Cosy, is being sent over there to help with reestablishing contact. He wishes for me and a few of my choosing to go with him to the Empire.” He sighed and shook his head. “It seems Cosy wishes to remind them that he is going to arrive in a stance of power. So you and the Gryphon Slayers get to come along. And all on the Empire’s payroll to boot.”
“Well that's really handy for us,” Grif said. “Cuts down on a lot of prep work.”
“I know.” Pensword said as a small smile crossed his muzzle. “Well, Derpy is on the observation deck.” he sighed. “So, should I still bring my flags?”
“I’d say pack a few, but don’t bring them out unless it’s an emergency. It might make us seem weak if we need to resort to gifts.”
“Very well.” Pensword nodded. “I still think I will bring the flag of the Emperor’s Talon. I also think we should have about two months. The envoy will arrive in Ponyville, then finish in Canterlot. From there they plan to take an airship towards the Gryphon Empire.” Pensword paused in thought as he put a hoof to his muzzle. “You think we can buy an airship for New Unity while there?”
“Yes, we can.” Grif nodded “But be discreet about it. We don’t want all our eggs in one basket. When we get back write Bellacosa and make sure he gets fitted for armor and starts training on how to walk in it.”
“He already has started to be fitted and is planning that. He asked that I help him while on the airship ride to the Empire with tactics. He desires to be trained so that he may be the next to command the military.” Pensword laughed. “I think he is more excited to be spending time with, as he put it, “An awesome guardian.”
“You got yourself a fan.” Grif soon joined in his friend’s laughter.
“Well, I am not surprised.” Pensword responded with a serious expression. His pale eyes seemed distant as the cries of the dead rang once more in his ears; the ghosts of crystal ponies past. “After what we all went through, we, I think we bonded.” He looked to Grif. “Did I do the right thing giving them space to be a family again?”
“Cadence needed the time.” Grif put a claw on his friend’s shoulder. “It was the right thing to do.”
“Thank you. I am happy that I am not the only one to think so.” The dark navy blue Pegasus smiled as he settled into the seat. “So, I guess we wait till the train arrives in Ponyville?” he paused for a moment. “There goes Derpy, flying off with her mail pouch. I guess she got her third or second wind to carry on with her route.” he paused. “Or did she? Uh ... she’s coming back this way. I think she has a letter for you this time.”
Grif opened the window. As Derpy came close he reached out and grabbed the letter as the pegasus flew by. “Thanks, Derpy!” he shouted.
Grif took a look at the envelope, one of those large official looking ones complete with string tying it closed. “I think I’ll wait till we get back,” Grif said, storing the letter in his bag. “So in the interim I want you to have your equipment and the slayers going with you to go through a full refit from the ground up. You haven’t upgraded your arsenal since the war and those wing blades need a good bit of maintenance,” he said, tapping on the numerous nicks and dents littering the weapons in question.
“Alright. We shall do that when we get back to New Unity. Heh, I hope we get the use the new toys Lord Hammer Strike has created. I want the best of the best against the Gryphon Empire.”
“Prepare for war, but intend peace,” Grif reminded him. “We’re not going to start a campaign this time.”
“Right, but we need to be ready to fight one if needed.” He pondered. “Do you think we can get Twilight to put a map of our world into the training modes on the newest war maps? That could work, maybe. They would be theoretical and nopony could take offense or claim an attempt at preparations for invasion into their kingdom or territory. You know, I think I like this idea.”
“Baby steps, my friend.” Grif smiled as he took note of the terrain. “Let’s get to Ponyville first.”
“True, true,” Pensword responded. “I always get ahead of myself in planning it seems. Well, I think I am going to let the train lull me to sleep for the rest of the way. Wake me up when we arrive. See you in Ponyville.” Then Pensword closed his eyes and slowly began to doze off.
The gryphon smiled as his friend was claimed by sleep. Moving to the opposite end of the car he disarmed. Laying his weapons before him in an orderly fashion he pulled out a whetstone, a rough cloth, and a small flask of oil. Then he set to work maintaining his weapons.
Pensword looked at the parchment and back up the small gravel path, then down at the parchment again. “We need to talk about a few things. Queen Me-Me.” Pensword paused and looked around the area. He could see that some trees had been uprooted recently, but at the same time, a garden appeared to have been planted or started. He ... did he see spikes and twine for future expansion? He paused as he heard a hoof step behind him. Spinning swiftly, he moved a hoof to pick up a nearby rock. He stopped entirely when he finally saw the pony in question. What he saw surprised him. “Doctor, what are you doing out here?”
The “doctor” stared at him, confused for a moment. Then, looking down, he seemed to clue in. “I’m sorry, Founder. I am using this disguise for my watch and did not realise it was somepony you knew well. Should I change forms?”
“No, no, it’s alright.” He hastily changed the subject. “So I was told to meet with Me-Me,” he said, showing the parchment. “Do you have a pony to take your place? I, I do not recognize the area and will need some assistance finding the hive.”
“Mother is sending down a guide as we speak.”
“Very well,” he paused. “So you all decided to make this area a garden?”
“Mother believes the foliage will serve the triple purpose of allowing us vegetables for variety, something we can sell should the hive require bits for any reason, and it also covers the entrance to the hive quite effectively.”
“I can tell. You have hidden it well,” he complimented. He paused as he heard hoof steps on the gravel. “I believe my guide is here.” He smiled. “Thank you for the chat, ‘Doc,’” he said with a wink to the changeling.
The lookout nodded as the rocks shifted to reveal a finely crafted tunnel. “Welcome, founder.” A new changeling peeked out. This one’s voice sounded female. Her eye`s were not the compound eyes of the changelings Matthew had known, but rather like an Equestrian’s eyes. “Mother sent me to guide you.”
“Lead on,” Pensword replied. He waited until the the tunnel entrance was sealed again. Then they continued. The unusual pair walked a ways in silence before he finally spoke again. “Uh, question. What um ... what happened to your eyes? You are the first Changeling I have seen that has, well, eyes more like regular ponies than what I have seen in the past.” Pensword hoped that being called founder would give him the ability to ask a question like that.
“Mother has decided that we should be more individual. She hopes that within a generation or two she'll be able to give us manes like the equestrians have,” she explained happily as she led him through the tunnels, turning several times into new offshoots he didn't remember from his last visit.
“Well, if you want to protect your hive, this is certainly a new way of doing it. I think I am lost already,” Pensword admitted as he continued to follow the Changeling. “So, what are the plans of the hive? Or shall I wait for my meeting with Me-Me?”
The changeling shrugged. “We're planning for the next generation. Our current collecting strategies are doing well enough that mother is ready to expand our numbers.”
“Oh?” Pensword replied with a raised eyebrow. “Well, that is good news. What is this collecting strategy?” he asked. “This time, I do want to know.”
“We have, through the help of Grif, acquired recent information regarding missing ponies who were abusive or distant from their families. If the pony is missing more than five months we send a collector out. The family gets the missing pony back in a much kinder and warm capacity and the hive thrives for it. Win-win,” she explained.
“And what if you find the missing pony?” He asked. “What if the missing pony shows up seven months later or a year later?” He moved a hoof to his chest. “I am currently missing back home,” he admitted, a frown on his muzzle.
“We knock the pony unconscious as peacefully as possible and then have the drone suffer some sort of accident. The pony gets switched in the hospital and suffers amnesia,” she explained.
“Ah,” Pensword replied. “Let’s hope to Faust that the returning pony becomes kinder,” He muttered. “That is a good means to gather love, but I would recommend you think of other ways to also gather love, just in case it doesn’t work out.” he paused, then frowned. “Still, it is a good means of trying to put together a broken family.” He looked to the Changeling. He had an idea, but he would hold it for Me-Me in the the heart of the Borg.
“It isn't a perfect strategy, but it serves us for now.” A few minutes later they came to the edge of the central chamber. “Mother is just through here”
“Thank you,” Pensword replied. He paused and took a deep breath before he stepped forward and into the main chamber. His eyes roved the walls to see what had changed and what might have stayed the same since the last time he’d visited.
The chamber had been made larger and was now surrounded by large crystalline formations glowing a cherry red color. Me-Me smiled at him as she approached. “My children seem to have taken to calling you The Founder.”
“I have noticed. May I ask why?” Pensword asked as he continued to assess the changes. “And what are these formations?” he asked using a wing to point to the crystalline formations. Matthew’s mind translated this as the warp core of the colony.
“They are how I have chosen to store love that is not immediately consumed. They will keep it safe until it is required.” She laughed. “I would guess that were it not for the three of you there would be no hive. Therefore, my children have chosen to recognise you as their founder. ”
Pensword looked pensively at Me-Me. “Very well, I can accept that.” He looked around the chamber once more. “This is not the nursery. What room is this? Are you about to build a throne chamber for yourself?”
“I am not making a throne,” she responded somewhat agitatedly. After a moment she sighed “I am sorry. Ch…. my mother, used the throne to put herself away from the rest of us. It was her way of reminding us we were lesser than she is. I don't want my children to see me that way.”
“Whoever said you would have to spend your day there?” Pensword asked. “We have to create a throne room for New Unity, but do you see us spending our waking hours looking down on the subjects?” He shook his head, but Me-Me cut him off with a sharp hoof stamp.
“No,” she said adamantly. She shook her head “I have decided. I don't want a throne in this hive.”
“Sorry,” Pensword replied with a slight smile. “Just trying to help. Still, what room are we in? I do not see the green glowing pillar so, I was right guessing this is not the nursery, right?”
“Last time you were here the nursery was here to protect it, given it was just the two of us. Now that there are more the nursery could be moved to a more suitable chamber. This is where we store our food.”
“Very nice. May I suggest one small thing?” he said, raising a wing. “Maybe a room for meetings?” He offered. “For the eventual future. Someday you shall be meeting with those outside of the three, maybe four of us. So that is all I shall say. You run your colony, your hive. I am not a part of it, nor one to run it.” He gawked as he saw two more changelings enter and leave. “Just how big is the hive now Me-Me?”
“We have several larger chambers and 13 smaller ones with about four miles worth of tunnels connecting them together,” she explained. “We've been doing a lot of excavation.”
“Oh wow.” Pensword replied in shock. “And from the sounds of your voice, you plan on growing the hive even further.” He paused once more to gather a few thoughts. “How many changelings? And how many scouts do you have at the moment?” He just hoped that he was wrong with his feelings here. “Chrysalis could very well be out there, alive and wanting revenge.”
“Mother has the disadvantage of a famine currently. She expanded beyond her means faster then she could grow them.” Me-Me smiled at Pensword. “I had a better teacher.”
“You flatter me, even if my form did change.” He paused as he remembered something. “Did Crystalis, did you and Mutatio … well, did you sense my life force? Because at times you sure acted strangely what with her laughing when I implied living to see her defeated. Also, I am curious as to the note you had delivered to me, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?”
“It… wasn't our place to say,” she said, looking away. “I asked you here because there is something you need to see. My tunnelers have found something … interesting.”
“Really?” Pensword asked, deciding to not follow his first line of questioning further. “Well, what did you find?”
“We don't know,” Me-Me told him blatantly. “We can't identify who made it, what it does or what it`s made from. That’s why we called you.”
He looked at her. “And you think I will?” He smiled. “Well, show this mystery to me. I am interested.”
Me-Me lead him through the tunnels, the walk was actually pretty quick. Me-Me seemed able to walk the tunnels without even looking. The tunneling became less refined and more rough the farther they went until they came to a spot where several changelings were working carefully, gradually moving the black earth away from a large sharp looking object jutting up from the ground. “The drones tell me it is at least 5 meters long and they have yet to discern the breadth of it.”
Pensword considered the artifact. “Well, where you found it long, what happens at the edge?” he asked as he moved towards one of the edges. Thanks to the glowing goo the Changelings were placing around the work area he could tell the object had a black sheen to it. He ran a hoof over it. “Smooth. Unnaturally so,” he commented.
“We've been able to determine some sort of energy inside of it, but until we excavate the entire object there is no way to be sure what it is. I brought you here to ask if you think it would safe to continue or if we should bury this again and leave it lost.”
“I want to say it is safe. But get weapons down here just in case,” Pensword answered. A buzz of excitement filled the room coming from the main dig site. In the hole, a changeling triumphantly held a new object aloft. It appeared to be some type of faded white circle. As Pensword’s eyes continued to adjust an emblem slowly became more visible. “Okay… I really do want weapons now. I will get flintlocks down here even.”
“Why?” One of the changelings asked. “It is the red cross of medicine in our world.”
“Yes, but why bury a medical lab or building down here? Forgotten?” he asked, his mind racing over the horrors of the modern world from plagues to the CDC to Zombies.
“Let’s just say that sometimes burying a medical lab is the only thing to contain dangerous materials. Proceed with caution. Still, at the same time, the knowledge that may be behind this metal could be a boon to all of Equestria, if not the world.”
“So we should proceed cautiously and be prepared for a fight?” Me-Me nodded. “I’ll have weapons down here immediately. Should I keep you updated on the excavation?”
“Let me get something from up top. I’ll be back in a little while. You may continue to excavate, but whatever you do, do not open it up until I return.”
“I’ll call you a guide again and make sure she stays with you this time.” Me-Me nodded. “Thank you for your advice in this matter. We shall act accordingly.”
“Very well.” Pensword responded.
An hour later Pensword returned with the guide by his side. He was decked out in full military armor and wing blades. He also held some strange metal spheres at his side. He could see that they had yet to find the breadth of the box, but they had dug down at least three average pony heights down. He looked around the outer edge of what they had found. So far it was interesting and the scholar side of him wondered as to its purpose.
“It will be some time before we have it fully exposed,” Me-Me noted. “I need to go to the nursery. But if you need anything, my children can contact me directly and I will come.” she promised.
Pensword waited for a while longer. They had gotten to three meters depth before he looked at his pocket watch and sighed. “I need a guide back to the surface. I have a meeting with some of the military architects this evening and I will need to wash before hoof. I am sorry I cannot stay any longer.” He had helped a little with digging and used Thestral techniques to help enlarge and reinforce the cavity above the structure. One Changeling found something odd a little ways up as well. A steel wall.
“Well,” Pensword responded seeing the exposed metal. “I think this is a means to keep the rest of the mountain from coming down on the facility. What we have here is the solidified gravel that must have been filled in between the two items when they buried this.” He shook his head. “That means if we uncover more of this metal we might be able to dig a little faster without fear of a cave in.”
Shawn found himself rolling his wrists after a series of hits against the training dummy before him. Each hand bore a powerful weighted gauntlet. The metal on each one was denser than normal, thus granting him greater force and impact than he might normally hold. On his right the gauntlet was made with Ebony metal, the left, Crystal Steel. Cracking his knuckles he readied himself again, planning out another series of hits against his target. After a brief second he continued again, timing one hit after the other, keeping his strength measured until he came to the final blow.
Just as he was about to let loose, Pensword entered the courtyard in full armor and mud clogged wing blades. He paused at seeing the final hit. Shawn arced upwards with a powerful uppercut, knocked off the dummy’s head and landing it somewhere in the ramparts.
“Well at least it didn’t go into orbit this time,” Pensword said. His voice rang across the empty courtyard, amplified by the stone walls and lack of ponies.
“I’ve learned to measure my strength since then,” Shawn replied as he turned towards the pegasus. “What’s new?”
“Well, I just returned from Area 51,” he responded, walking up to Shawn as he lowered his voice, switching to Draconic. “Me-Me found what appears to be a sealed medical… box big enough to house bodies. Her hive is going to be in Area 51, Royal gardens. I do not know what it is. Just that there is something that looks like star trek metal down there with a red cross on a white circle. So far we have not found the entrance.” he cleared his throat, rubbing it with a hoof. “Dragonic is not meant to be spoken by Equine vocal chords for long, it seems.” Pensword cleared his throat again. “Still, I am calling it Area 51.”
“Then we need to make something even better. I do want to get a place to test some… experiments.” Shawn said after a pause. “Got to test explosive rounds somewhere safe, you know. Without plenty of living beings in the area around it.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Pensword said with a shrug. We just have to annex some of the Badlands. Call it the Skunkworks.”
“You know, you are just tempting me to try some more of the dangerous stuff with that kind of thinking.” Shawn gave a light chuckle as he started to undo the straps on his gauntlets.
“Well, why not? It would scare the Queen Bug we all dislike from getting near Equestria anytime soon, I hope.” He paused and looked to the gauntlets. “So what do you have this time around, Q?”
“Eclipse,” Shawn replied as he pulled them off. “Ebony and Crystal Steel weighted gauntlets.”
“Well, it certainly looks impressive,” Pensword responded with a Grin. “I like the look and contrast between the dark and light.”
“The armor comes next.” Shawn smirked. “I’m practicing in this form to keep myself ready on both sides.”
“Sounds good.” Pensword smiled a little. “If you would excuse me, I better get a shower before meeting some folks tonight.” He paused. “Have you seen Lunar Fang?”
“I’ve been focused on this project. You’re the first pony I’ve noticed for a bit.”
“I shall see if she is in the solar suite, then. I want to say hello to her and Moon River.” He smiled a little. “I am happy,” he said, like he had made some novel discovery. This is- I am married and happy.”
“Count yourself one lucky… stallion,” Shawn replied as he took a seat on the small table adjoining the courtyard wall.
“Understood. I wish to chat, but I had better be moving.” He stopped to observe the reconstruction. “I can see a few more stones have been placed in order. That is good to see. Another small step to making this place more like a home.” He trotted away, humming a happy tune under his breath.
“Still feels odd calling a castle a home,” Shawn muttered to himself as he looked around. “Then again I’ve lived in the equivalent of a mansion from a thousand years ago.”
A moment later a Unicorn with a mason square cutiemark walked into the courtyard with a roll of blue parchment. “Ah, Lord Shawn. I was looking for Lord Hammer Strike, but you’ll do just as well. I was wondering what you might think about this future addition for that granary.” He pulled on a cord which roll out multiple plans at once. “As well as a mill for a creek we mapped out to the West. Also, we have word that the pay wagons will be arriving in three days,” the mason said, pulling tables over to place the blueprints. Shawn could tell there were a few more in the pile. “I know we have a lot more projects, but we should really get started on some means of producing our own breads. I was planning to meet with some of Ponyville farmers to help plot out some good soil to grow the grains.”
After a few moments of thought Shawn finally gave out a hum before starting to speak. “Should prove to be useful. Have to work on pathing for out there, but it shouldn’t take that long.” He continued to look through the plans. “A flowing river, right?”
“That is correct.” the Unicorn responded. “A flowing river. We do not know where it leads but we found that it connects to a branch off the main Ponyville River that goes through town.”
“Then I may have another project to do on the side, but that’ll be a more private one. Other than that, I would suggest waiting until we get some paths laid out to expedite the movement of equipment back and forth. Other than that we just need to finish off the stabilization of the building and then it’s just cleaning things up.”
“Understood. I have some friends in the Manehatten guild coming out. I think I can convince them to help with the paths. They should be arriving in the next two days. These three always loved roughing it. They actually jointly designed the rail stop that turned into Appleloosa.” He chuckled. “So don’t be surprised if one of them starts mapping out a rail line.”
“Oh joy, Pensword will have a field day every day he hears the trains come by,” Shawn replied.
“Why would the commander have a field day? He doesn’t like the steam whistles?” The Unicorn asked with a confused look. “It is the fastest mode of transportation at the moment, at least till you build an airship hangar dock.”
“Definitely going to do that part. But no, Pensword very much enjoys trains. Very much enjoys them.”
“Like Pinky Pie enjoys cake?” a familiar voice asked as Grif descended on the yard.
“Grif, good, you’re back now as well,” Shawn called out.
“And you managed to not do any paperwork in the time we were gone.” Grif smiled. “As a fellow procrastinator I salute you, sir.”
“I’ll have you know I’m ahead of schedule, and I was out on a trip,” Shawn replied.
“Anyway, I see you've been making good use of the workforce. Has the quarry hit any interesting deposits yet?” Grif asked
“Not that I know of.”
“Well,” The Unicorn replied as he pulled out some regular parchment paper. “My friend, Marble Block, asked that I deliver this for him. It states that the Quarry is half empty and that the stones in the quarry can still be used. Using his unicorn magic, he also claims to have detected at least three more large marble deposits, some Granite veins, and well, I lost track of the rest. He got so excited he talked faster than I could write. Seems the only reason the quarry was even abandoned was due to Nightmare Moon.”
“And the mining company?” the gryphon asked.
“You’ll have to ask Gold Nugget. He is currently training some workers… we think we might have a few veins of precious metals to mine. And with Dame Rarity to help with gem locations, it should be a cinch to make a profit. Still, we might have to travel down to the Macintosh Mountains and see if we can find any more mines to operate or start.” He looked at the two. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that’s all I have for now. We don’t know what we’re going to find just yet.”
“Never apologize because you don't have all the answers, Mason Brick,” Grif said to the unicorn. “We really appreciate all that you guys are doing, especially as a good portion of you are all the way out here away from friends and family to do it.”
“Well, hopefully we can have a place for them by mid summer’s eve,” Mason Brick replied. “The Summer Solstice would be a nice day to be with family.”
“Be sure to let us know where the best housing areas would be. We’ll be sure to set it aside for you,” Grif promised.
Grif smiled up from his cloud as he spotted his prey. He was certain he had been the very symbol of stealth, unseen and unheard as she moved through the courtyard. As silently as he was able, Grif let himself fall into a dive towards the gryphoness.
Smiling, Shrial sidestepped playfully as she turned to face her lover, sword at the ready. “Sparring this early, Grif?” She asked playfully. “I thought you still had plans for your, what do you call it? A bachelor party?”
“Actually, that's not till the night before the ceremony and I’m not allowed to plan it. That's Pensword’s job.” He smiled. “And perhaps after a week away I thought it would be nice to spend time with you.”
“Well, love, all you had to do was ask me nicely,” she said, kissing him on the beak as she traced a talon gently over his face. Her engagement band glinted proudly in the sun.
“What? And not be my impetuous self? But that's why you love me,” he replied brushing her gently with a wing. “ So have you picked a gemstone yet?” he asked her.
“Not yet. I’ve been searching for the right one, but it’s difficult to find one that’s suitable for the occasion. It’s not every day a girl gets to marry a warrior like you.”
“Maybe an amethyst? It’s the symbol for clarity and calm, fitting for the both of us, I think. You are my calm and I am your clarity.”
Shrial pondered for a time. “Hmm. Not a bad idea. And the colors should go well together. Far better than some emerald.”
“We will both give up our honor for our values. It doesn't define us,” Grif noted. “Shrial, you know why I was in canterlot, but you haven't asked me the question on your mind.”
“I didn’t want to ruin our fun. But since you brought it up, how goes the search?”
“I did end up with a betrothal contract to one of the emperor’s cousins,” Grif admitted. “But I didn't choose her for power or prominence. I don't want to hide this from you. You’re a large part of my life not just as my love, but during the war as my confidante as well.”
“And you haven’t brought her back so I can get to know her? Why Grif, I’m positively shocked. How scandalous of you,” She said, laughing as she embraced her husband to be. “You should know I’m not bothered as long as you love them. Our tastes are fairly similar after all.”
“You`d like her. She’s an athlete from the empire. I couldn't bring her here cause she’ll be competing in the Equestria games.” Grif smiled. “So you get me to yourself for a good few months yet.”
“Mmm, perfect,” She said, rubbing against him as she preened some of his feathers with her beak. “I’d like to lay claim on you first before the others do,” she said with a wicked wink.
“If it’s a claim, well, you had that a thousand years ago. But if it’s the other type of claim you mean ...” he returned the wicked grin. “We'll have to wait till our ferry gets to the island and I’ll definitely make sure you get all you can handle.”
“I can hardly wait,” She said, playfully smacking him with her tail before jumping a safe distance and drawing her sword once again. “Alright, let’s see if we can’t work off some of those donuts you love so much.”
Grif chuckled as he drew his blades, stabbing the right handed one into the ground. “Let’s see if you mastered fighting an off-handed opponent yet.” He drew the sword vertically parallel to his face. “Arret!” Then he swept the blade to point to the ground. “En guard!” He charged ahead for a slice.
Pensword paused in his paperwork. It had been two weeks since his return home. And finding out about Me-Me and her recent discovery still weighed heavily on his mind. He paused as he heard the sound of hooves clip clopping on the cobblestone. He moved quickly to stand next to his desk. Three steady knocks came from the door. “Enter” he commanded.
“You handle this. I have things to do,” a female voice spoke rather irritatedly.
“Your autographs can wait, Spitfire. I just spent a week hunting her down because you didn't follow military standards. You’re going to be present for this,” a male voice spoke as four ponies entered the room. The first was obviously Rainbow Dash. What caught Pensword’s eye, however, was the Wonderbolt Cadet uniform she now sported. Rainbow was soon followed by a light blue pegasus stallion with dark blue mane and tail dressed in a flight suit. A lime green pegasus mare with orange hair struggled against his hold as he hovered in. Walking in beside them looking very unhappy, was a pegasus mare with yellow fur and a red orange mane. She bore the flight suit of her status as well as sunglasses and a flight jacket. Rainbow, Spitfire, and Soarin saluted while the third mare continued to kick and squirm. Considering the nature and the circumstances, Pensword assumed this would require his official self, rather than his casual side. He crisply returned the salute.
“At ease Mares, Stallion,” he said. He looked at Spitfire. “Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire, why do you have a shackled Pegasus Mare in my office?”
“First Lieutenant Soarin Winds requesting permission to speak, sir!” Soarin said, dropping the struggling mare to the floor as he stood behind her.
Pensword looked at Spitfire before turning back to Soarin. “Very well, soldier. Permission Granted.”
“Commander, this is recruit Lighting Dust, formerly of the Wonderbolt Academy training ranks. Recently she committed several reckless acts, including the endangerment of civilians. Spitfire dishonorably discharged her, but I believe, Sir, that her crimes warrant a stricter punishment to prevent her from acting out of line again. I have brought recruit Rainbow Dash, who was Lightning Dust’s partner during the exercises, and can attest to her behavior.”
“Very well.” Pensword started. “Recruit Rainbow Dash, please, inform me of the events that have been alluded to. Based upon your testimony I shall decide whether a Court Martial is needed.”
Rainbow did as instructed, telling her tale in a surprisingly professional manner as she described each event from Lightning Dust’s willingness to sacrifice her partner or other recruits for her own fame to the tornado that almost ended the bearers of the elements of harmony.
“Tell me, who taught you the value of right and wrong?” he looked at each of them. “From the look of things Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire has learned the events. And Soarin… not everything is an autograph. Look at my desk. That stack of pictures is to be used as get well cards to sick members of the Solar Guard.” Soarin blushed sheepishly. He looked to the others. “However, what I have heard is that Miss Lightning Dust does not fully understand teamwork. She has gone solo all her life, am I correct?”
Lightning Dust nodded her head up and down, but said nothing more.
“That being the case, she will be reformed within the ranks here in New Unity. However, for the first six months she will not be granted leave. This outfit is for second chances.” He turned to face Lighting Dust directly. “What you did may very well be close to placing you in Military Prison. However, seeing as the other Elements of Harmony have not pressed charges, and Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire felt that you did not deserve jail time, you will thereby have your discharge revoked. You shall report here for military weather duty. At the rank of Cadet Private.” Lightning opened her mouth in protest, only for Pensword to raise a hoof, effectively cutting her off. “After one year of your four year probation, and it will be a four year probation, you shall report before me and a council of your fellows to see how you have improved and if you are worthy of any rank promotions. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Lighting Dust responded half heartedly.
“Good. First Lieutenant Soarin, remove her chains. Lighting Dust, you are to report to the supply outfit immediately.” He smiled as a familiar pegasus walked into the room. “Fox Feather, good. You have excellent timing. Please Escort Cadet Private Lightning Dust to the supply room to have her gear issued to her. Lieutenant Colonel Spitfire, First Lieutenant Soarin, Recruit Dash, you are all dismissed.” He looked at LIghtning Dust. “I look forward to seeing you at tonight’s roll call.”
Soarin removed the chains and all four pegasi saluted before leaving a crushed Lighting Dust with Fox Feather. As the other three left, Pensword looked at Fox Feather and nodded his head. “You will have her records to your hooves by the end of the day. I would like you to teach her how to work in teams and be integrated into the unit.” He smiled, baring his fangs. “In fact, slate her for Gryphon Slayer training.”
“Pensword, you think you can gather the Gryphon Slayers to the courtyard for a bit?” Hammer Strike asked his friend as they passed each other.
Pensword froze mid step. “May I ask why? Because at the moment I am dealing with a new recruit and she’s a real stubborn case.”
“Ah, if they are going to be busy nevermind then. I was just looking to do some sparring matches,” He replied, shrugging.
“With the Gryphon Slayers?” Pensword returned in a disbelieving tone of voice. “How many?”
“Don’t know. I want to simulate some group fighting. More than a few at a time,” Hammer replied, thinking to himself. “Perhaps, if possible, bring them all.” He chuckled.
“All of them?” Pensword asked, a devious smile forming on his muzzle. “Even the new recruit? If so, I could allow that. It might show her just what she is in for.”
“Already torturing a poor recruit?” Hammer asked. “Well, if they stick around after the fight, that shows something, I guess… After the visits to the infirmary that is.”
“I think she’s got a hard enough head. Besides, she deserves it with how reckless she is. Yet, when I look in her eyes, I think she will make it. She does not know it yet, but she has great potential.”
He quickly left the courtyard and entered the segment of ruins that had been claimed by the Gryphon Slayers. He looked not only on the fourteen who came from the past with him, but also the other fifteen cadets who were undergoing training. “Okay, Gryphon Slayers. We have a challenge for you all today. Lord Hammer Strike has invited us to a sparring match. He wants everypony to come fight with him. Even the recruits.”
Night Prism smiled, showing his Thestral Fangs. “Well, Moon Kicker, it seems that his Lordship has finally gotten bold enough to challenge us.”
“But,” one of the new recruits, a Unicorn with a red ribbon bow Cutie Mark replied. “He fights crazy.” He looked around as the fourteen veterans laughed.
“Yeah, but that is against the guards and you rookies. He has not faced veterans for a while. I think we can have a go at it. If he lets us all attack him at once, we might even stand a chance.”
Pensword chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Don’t worry. I am going to join in as well. After all, if we have the numbers, we attack at once.” He never did like those games where you have an army to face and the computer would send in one or two guys at a time. Far better to have strength in numbers. He looked to Lightning Dust. “Your assignment is to land at least two strikes upon Hammer Strike’s form. Do that and, well, let us just say that few ever land a second hit on Lord Hammer Strike.”
Lighting Dust just stared at the Commander. “You just ordered me to strike a Lord of Equestria? Twice? You sure you don’t want me behind bars?”
“Lass,” an Earth Pony began. “I have seen him in combat.”
“We all have, Whistle Clean,” Moon Kicker replied with a laugh and a hoof punch to the big pony’s shoulder. He looked to Lighting Dust. “He once lobbed off the head of a Gryphon General in personal one on one combat to the death. He can take a hit or two from any of us.”
“You’re all crazy!” Lightning Dust shouted.
“So says the Lass,” Whistle Clean returned calmly. “Who almost got the Elements of Harmony killed with a tornado to beat some time record.” More than a few ponies glared at her as, once again, Lightning Dust’s pride was systematically pricked and deflated.
Pensword hit a hoof on the ground with a shout. “Enough! We are wasting time. We focus on bonding later. Right now we have been challenged. If we delay any more it might look like we are cowards afraid to face one Earth Pony.” He ran his gaze over each member of the unit, his personal guard. “Now we move out and we attack him. I think the current record for time is six minutes. That record is currently held by the Gryphon Mercs. Now, shall we let that stand?”
“NO!” Fourteen voices cried out.
“Then shall we make it six minutes and ten seconds for the new record?”
“Yes!” All the voices chimed in. Lighting Dust was verbal, but still half hearted. Doubt shone clearly in her eyes.
“Then move out,” Pensword ordered. He turned around and the group of twenty nine soldiers marched towards the sparring ring.
After a few minutes they finally made it. Hammer Strike sat there in his vest and dress shirt, his coat off to the side, folded up as he waited for them to arrive.
“We have come, as requested. How many do you wish to face at once? Seeing as you have grown bored of single sparring matches?” Pensword asked with a glint in his eye. “Shall we be timing the entire time we fight or will each individual group be a different time?”
“Time the entire thing. There’s twenty nine of you. Unless you’ll be joining, Pensword. Then it will be thirty,” Hammer replied.
“You challenged my men. Of course I am going to join with them. Do three waves of ten sound good to you? Just to test the waters?”
“That sounds fine. Pick your groups of ten and we’ll start.”
“Alpha, Beta, Charlie groups, form up. Lightning Dust, you are with me in the Alpha group.” He looked around with a nod of his head. Before pausing. “Is there a problem, Miss Dust?” He asked?
“Alpha, Beta, and Charlie? What kind of names are those?” She responded with her as the record showed, rather blatant show of mouth.
“They are the names I pick for my units. And for that little remark, after this you get thirty wing ups. Before chow!” Lightning Dust flinched as Pensword turned to face the other two squadrons. “Beta, you are first. Charlie, second. Alpha, we go last.”
The area around the arena was surrounded by a bevy of ponies and gryphons, all anticipating the fight that was to come.When Hammer Strike fought, people wanted to be there to see it. Betting pools where opened and bits practically flew from talon to hoof to talon as the audience waited for the match to start.
Beta gathered on one end, a mix of all four races, both veteran and recruit. They looked at each other before facing Hammer Strike, waiting patiently while Pensword marveled at just how fast word had spread over the challenge. The ponies spread out around in all directions around the lord, preparing themselves for the signal to start. The tension in the air was palpable as they stared across at a warrior who had more time to practice and train than most warriors lived.
Hammer Strike stood motionless in the center, almost disinterested with the ponies before him. A bell sounded in the distance and the match was on. All at once a newer pegasus recruit made a beeline for Hammer Strike from behind only for the pony to step to the side and bring his front knee down on the pegasus’ back, sending him to the ground. A unicorn took advantage of the distraction to buck at Hammer Strike from the side.
Hammer Strike groaned from the impact letting it send him to the ground only to transfer the momentum, sending his back legs diagonally into the unicorn’s barrel. The other eight were slightly shocked by how easily he had taken two of their number down. Two earth ponies attempted to rush Hammer Strike from both sides. In response, Hammer Strike stood on his back legs, sending a front leg out to each side. He stopped the chargers cold before delivering a fast punch to the stomach of the one pony and the chin of the other. He fell forward into a roll as a pegasus flew through the space where he had been standing mere seconds ago. Jumping as he reached his feet, Hammer Strike grabbed two pegasi by their back hooves and spun around, hurtling them into an earth pony just about to enter the action.
“Come on. Fight like you’re trying to kill me!” Hammer called out.
The sound of charging hooves echoed behind him and turned to intercept only for the thestral to duck low, landing a punch just beneath Hammer Strike’s chin. The earth pony lord actually took a step back as he absorbed the blow, but managed to use his leg to block the next strike. The thestral pushed ahead with rapid blows, which Hammer Strike was forced to block until he saw his opening. Bringing his momentum forward he jabbed his left hoof into the thestral’s stomach. However, in his distraction he was pulled backward onto his back. Just a few feet away a unicorn had managed to lasso him with its magic, holding him in place for a pegasus to dive bomb. The crowd murmured as it looked like someone had gotten the better of Hammer Strike only for him to grin at the last moment. Breaking the magical hold like a child would a string, he moved to his side. Dirt shot into the air as the pegasus slammed the ground beside him, jarring his skull. Grabbing the downed pegasus by the tail he sent it flying into its unicorn partner.
Hammer Strike was forced forward as a pegasus made contact with his back, but before he could turn to respond a thestral impacted his other flank. The two traded divebombs keeping Hammer Strike on the defensive. Hammer kept his distance, biding his time as he defended against the blows until the pegasus and thestral grew too confident. That was their fatal mistake. Attempting a double dive bomb, the attack resulted in Hammer Strike rolling away at the last moment. The two flyers crashed together with a marvelous clatter like great symbols as they crashed to the ground. Hammer Strike stood calmly amongst the unconscious, or at least temporarily addled opponents.
“Medics, please attend to the wounded. Use any spells or medicine you can think of.” Pensword paused and smiled. “Are you trying to force my team to take time off?” he asked as Charlie moved into position. “Time.” Pensword ordered while the clock was paused. He looked at his friend. “I think we landed a few hits.”
“A few, yes,” Hammer responded.
The two time keepers, a Gryphon and a Unicorn looked at the clock. The Gryphon spoke up. “One minute Fifty Nine Seconds.”
Lightning Dust stared as her lower jaw dropped. “You want me to go up against him? Do you want me dead?” She squawked as Grif landed into the courtyard, hearing her voiced question.
“If we'd wanted you dead, Hammer Strike wouldn’t be empty hoofed. At worst you’ll only be maimed temporarily. Just think outside the box, don‘t underestimate him, and you`ll be fine,” Grif said.
Lighting Dust just stared at Grif. “You are all Insane and Crazy.”
“Insane, yes. Stupid, no. The thing is, this insane gryphon walked through an open battle field against some of history's most deadly warriors and lived. Sometimes insanity is what keeps us alive,” Grif responded.
Pensword looked to Lightning Dust. “We get told that a lot.” He then turned to look at Charlie as they finished lining up. “Okay. You can do this… Alpha will be there shortly to back you up. Give it your all everypony.” Hammer Strike stood with a disinterested look. The bell rang after a few minutes and Charlie signaled it was ready.
Right from the start, two Thestrals took to the air, trying to pull off a similar bombardment as was deployed before while two Unicorns tried to hold Hammer’s hooves in their magic to keep him from kicking or punching.
Hammer Strike grinned as he moved, forcing his hooves together through sheer force of will as he brought the two magics into contact with each other. The two spells, unprepared for the merger, backlashed, releasing a small shockwave which disoriented the thestrals. Taking advantage of this temporary lull, he grabbed the nearest one and hurled him towards a unicorn.
The Unicorn, still disoriented from the merging of two magic fields, could not prepare for the incoming Thestral who was trying to flap her wings to gain altitude and prevent what inevitably happened next. The two collided and went down in a heap. While they were still awake, they had strained their legs and were quickly removed from the field as the two Earth Ponies who had stayed back attacked at once, trying sheer brute force as they charged while the other flyers took to the the air. The last remaining Unicorn stood her ground and summoned a magic barrier to help protect the charging Earth Ponies. An inventive ploy, but would it work?
Hammer Strike dropped at the last moment as the two earth ponies collided above him before returning with a double uppercut. One of the thestrals collided with an earth pony as he was forced to rear from the tackle.
Only five remained: four fliers and one Unicorn. She did her best to use her magic for another shield while the Slayers regrouped before she tried to lasso Hammer’s legs. Meanwhile the four remaining fliers, two Pegasi and two Thestrals, charged in for another dive bomb, swarming like bees as they replicated the behavior of birds when defending their nests from attack. The Pegasi tried to start some wing currents to kick up dust around Hammer Strike and reduce visibility. Hammer Strike responded by kicking up more dust, extending the cloud until it covered all visibility of him completely. One of the thestrals divebombed into the cloud only to not come out again.
The others were quick to peel off as the remaining three started to flap their wings to clear the dust away. Their tactic had been turned on them. The Unicorn quickly raised the barrier to protect herself and her companions from the blinding particles flying about, curving like a windshield.
Rocks flew from inside the dust cloud, pelting the barriers from different directions with a large amount of force. For a while she put up a good retaliation, but one rock slid just under the lip of the shield, striking the the unicorn’s horn.
The magic fizzed out as she went cross eyed and dropped unconscious, unable to continue the fight. The last three ponies formed up for one last dive bomb to try and at least control Hammer Strike’s movements and hopefully land a few more hits.
Hammer Strike played his new advantage for all it was worth, letting each take a few sweeps before grabbing the first and slamming him hard into the ground. Within the next minute or so the dust settled and all three ponies lay on the ground, unconscious.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the match. Pensword looked at the scene. “Time,” he barked.
“Two minutes and one second,” the time keepers proclaimed. Pensword squinted.
“Alpha move into position!” This, of all others was the only group composed solely from Veterans of the Gryphon Slayers. Well, all but one. Lightning Dust quivered where she stood. “So… you ready for round three?” He asked Hammer Strike while the Ponies and Gryphons stood watching.
“Ready as always,” Hammer replied.
Pensword smirked as he looked to his troops. “Pattern Zeta.” He called out. The group immediately charged. Hammer Strike, for the first time in living memory, looked just a bit surprised as he saw the wall of ponies rushing him. At the last possible moment he reared up, placing his hooves on the head of an oncoming earth pony and forced its head into the ground.
The Earth Pony rolled with the attack and was able to kick up at Hammer Strike’s underside. Meanwhile, Lighting Dust found herself on a head on course stampeding directly for Hammer Strike. She shifted her forehooves forward in a superman pose as she extended her wings, hoping to push up and away from the hooves of the legendary Earth Pony Smith.
Pensword quickly moved to be with Moon Kicker as they both worked to form a two-pronged attack. In the back, Animal Control quickly conjured the image of a bear, which roared as it reared up onto its hind legs. Hammer Strike twisted at the last minute, kicking Lighting Dust away as he grabbed Moon Kicker`s outstretched hooves and hurled her into Pensword. The earth pony smith landed once more, creating a small crater. He turned to animal control, completely ignoring the illusion, and rushed her.
She did her best to create a Wolf construct to intercept Hammer Strike while she dodged to the other side. The Earth Pony who had been under Hammer Strike was out on the floor while Moon Kicher and Pensword stood up shaking off the attack. Lightning Dust used the momentum of Hammer Strike’s kick to gain altitude before she began to run around in a circle in the air. A lightning bolt began to run behind her, indicating her boost in speed before she dove towards the fray. The other eight would hopefully keep Hammer Strike busy with their attacks. Right now, the element of surprise was her only hope.
The other fliers barely dodged out of the way as Lightning Dust barreled down, only for Hammer Strike to catch Animal Control, pick her up, and use a grapple to roll, effectively switching places with her. Lightning Dust and Animal Control both went out in a cloud of dust and dirt. While still awake, they both were too injured to fly or cast magic. The two could hardly stand as they swayed on their hooves, gently guided out by the medics. Seven ponies remained.
Hammer Strike stood arrogantly, waiting for their next strike. His stance remained unattached to the situation and the look on his face was bored. He did not have to wait long as two Thestrals charged him at the same time. One of them tried to use sleep magic on the pony lord, only to be punched in the muzzle in the blink of an eye. The Other Thestral did her best to pull up but found herself stopped as a strong hoof yanked on her tail. She cried once before she was swung around and crashed into the charging form of an Earth Pony. “Hello, Glamour Hooves,” She replied with a dizzy voice. Glamour Hooves just groaned from where he had dug up some dirt with his head.
Pensword stared and shook his head. “Glamour Horn, Magic Swirl, use some magic bolts to try and distract him.” He ordered as he took to the air again. He quickly moved to team up with the last flyer, a Thestral. “Blood Moon, come on. We should try and start one of our flybys.”
Glamour Horn and Magic Swirl charged up their horns, ready to make their last stand. Taking a page out of his previous book, Hammer Strike began kicking up pebbles and smaller rocks, sending them flying in the unicorns’ direction. Magic swirl managed to put a shield up in time, but Glamour Hooves took a stone square on the horn. He fell seconds later.
Magic Swirl stepped back and charged forward before jumping to the left at the last moment. He fired a magic bolt point blank, smiling, only for his victory to turn to ask as Hammer Strike took the blow. He didn’t even stagger at the hit before he rounded and kicked Magic Swirl with his hind hooves, landing right on the Cutie Mark. Something happened and Magic Swirl dropped. He tried to use his horn, but his magic was on the fritz. It was all child’s play from there as Hammer shot a pebble right at the base of Swirl’s horn. Seconds later, Magic Swirl blacked out.
Pensword paused in mid air, hovering. He had a feeling. “That layer,” he muttered in reference to the Thaumic field around Hammer Strike. It seemed that the field was treating this like actual combat, but rather than working to destroy an opponent, was apparently taking Prisoners. Before he could say anything Moon Blood tried to dive only to have a pair of rocks hit him in the joints, locking his wings. He tumbled to the ground, rolling end over end and groaned. Pensword looked with his keen tactical eye and sighed in relief. Nothing had been broken. Though he guessed that Moon Blood would be put off for a few days due to over strained wings. Pensword now stood alone, the last pony remaining. And he knew if he stayed still for more than five seconds the match would be forfeit. He dove and landed on the ground as he began to circle Hammer Strike. “So. It seems that it is down to you and it is down to me.”
“Correct,” Hammer replied.
Pensword kept a flat expression as he continued to circle. He broke suddenly, flying at ground level before rearing back to kick with his hind legs at the pony lord. “Eay-ah!” he shouted.
Hammer Strike responded by dropping below Pensword and grabbing one of his legs. With a flick of his foreleg he laid Pensword on his back to the ground. Time seemed to slow as Hammer Strike seized Pensword’s leg. He did his best to kick with his free hoof while the magic of hoof holding allowed this strange predicament. Pensword, or rather Matthew, still did not understand how this could happen, but there it was. Seeing what was rapidly approaching, he did the one thing an experienced warrior could do in this situation. He relaxed his body and took the blow. The moment he felt the grip on his leg released, he crouched both legs back and bucked for all he was worth. He felt both legs hit flesh, but he did not wait before he did his best to get away. Right now, distance was he best bet.
Unfortunately, he was too slow. Hammer Strike landed on his back and twisted a foreleg behind in a wrestling move. A Gryphon began to count as a joke, only to find, to his shock, the rest of the crowd joined with him after “three.” It was not till Ten that the bell rang and the match was over.
“Time,” Hammer Strike called out, letting Pensword go.
“Two minutes and five Seconds,” The Unicorn studying the clock called out.
“That makes it a total of six minutes and five seconds.” The Gryphon called out. “The record now stands at Six Minutes Five seconds!”
Pensword stood up only to almost fall again. He turned his head to look at his left rear leg. He had to lift it up. “Grif,” He called. “I need you to place guards over the Field of Flags.” He looked to the two medical ponies heading his way. “Knowing our luck, we will be on R n R for a week.” He waited till Grif got closer. “Make sure that the Gryphons know that if any flags go missing the entire Gryphon Clanless and Clans will do ten mile marches, on their talons. The one that takes the flag will pull the water wagon behind them.”
“I`ll do you one better. I`ll put the rohirrim on guard.” Grif nodded to Black Rook, who went to make the arrangements. “You guys should be proud. That was quite a match. Don't think I've ever seen Hammer Strike so very nearly almost winded before,” Grif said, surprisingly, with no mocking in his voice.
“Yeah… Still, it felt good to let loose a little. I just wish I didn’t hurt my leg. Lunar Fang ... I do not know if she is going to doctor me, or chew me out.”
“Maybe both?” Lunar Fang called out from the sidelines, her eyes glinting dangerously. “When you get better the first thing I’m going to do is teach you how to wrestle.”
“Congratulations on the new record,” Hammer Strike said. “Now, if you would excuse me, I have to grab my next weapon to test. I remembered something from home and I decided I wanted to try to remake it. Grif, I want you around for the testing. Give some feedback.”
“And you, commander, will get to see this new weapon, when you are released from the Medical Tents,” one of the nurses ordered in a no nonsense tone. “Now come on, get on the cot and we’ll bring you inside.”
“You know, I thought it felt like a good day for testing out new weapons.” Grif laughed. “Anyway, you go rest, Pensword. You guys did good out there today.”
Interesting enough, it was Shawn who walked out of the building again with what looked to be the pommel of a sword on his back. They couldn’t tell length with him facing them. “Good, dummies are set up for practice.”
“So what’s the weapon this time? Should I stand way back, or is this just an insane melee weapon?” Grif asked
“Oh, you know,” Shawn replied as he unsheathed the blade, a long silver shaft with what looked to be a reinforced handle. Its ultimate function, Grif had no clue. A second later he flipped the blade in his hand and offered it over to Grif.
Grif took it into his talons, gingerly inspecting it. “This is quite the piece,” he noted. “But this seems more my style than yours,” Grif said as he spun the blade a few times in his claws. “It may even be a bit light for me,” he noted, handing it back.
“That part of the sword, yes, The second part of it, not so much,” Shawn said as he grabbed the blade. After a quick look down he flipped it in his Grip, placed it into the sheath, and gave it a turn. A mechanical click sounded through the air as he pulled it over his shoulder once again. This time, it was drastically different. Instead of pulling back and revealing the sword, he pulled the entire thing forward. A large greathammer appeared in the light of day, made from a dark grey metal that Grif hazarded a guess was doubly reinforced grey iron.
“That is incredibly cool and yet totally weird,” Grif said.
“It is from a trailer to a game I saw awhile back,” Shawn said quietly. “The sword part of it will be combined with, say, a shield in my left hand. When I need to hit hard rather than fast, I swap it out,” He told Grif as he transitioned the blade back into a longsword. “I made a mechanism to lock the blade into the hammer sheath when I turn and pull up. To swap it back, I push down and turn it in the other direction, thus releasing the mechanism.”
“That could be incredibly useful. I can see a lot of applications for weapons like tha,t” Grif said “It would definitely take some skill to get the hang of though.”
“That’s why I’m going to practice with it a bit. Test it on some dummies. And I want you to put it through a quick round hitting targets in a rapid succession to make sure the blade holds up well. I have a shield in the forge, but I don’t need to test that out anymore. I’ve put enough pressure on the thing to make sure it will hold.”
Grif nodded. “sounds easy enough. Whenever you're ready.”
Shawn flipped the weapon in his hand and offered it again. “Sword first.”
With a smile Grif took the blade and performed a few flourishes before turning to the dummy. “Let’s see what this beauty can do.”
Applejack, Applebloom, a pony that none of the others had seen, Big Mac, Tall Oak, and Little Willow all stood before the now working gate, having crossed over the recently completed bridge. Behind them, other Apples were pulling carts of food and supplies that Ponyville appeared to have donated to the building process.
Pensword looked at the group while resting on Lunar Fang’s back and looked to the other’s. “That’s a lot of apples.”
“Oh, good dear, you used a contraction,” Lunar Fang replied, moving a fore hoof to rub his.
“I had a great time at the reunion, mac.” Little Willow smiled at the large stallion. “Thanks again for having me.”
“No problem,” Big Mac replied while the metal gate rose.
“Applebloom, now you and Babe Seed pull your wagon inside and unhitch yourselves. After that … I guess you can play around the safe areas. Just don’t go too far off.” Apple Jack trotted into the courtyard and looked at Hammer Strike and Grif. “Well, here’s your weekly supply and food run. I hope y’all are doing well.” She titled her head, pushing her cowpony hat back. “Why’s Pensword being carried by Lunar Fang?”
“He had a nice spar with ‘Hammer Strike,’” Shawn said with a smile. “Him and twenty nine others. Waves of ten.”
“Well I’ll be a storm tossed tumbleweed in a flash flood.” Applejack whistled. “I might have to come by some evening and challenge him to a hoof wrestle,” She replied. “Or I could just settle for one with you, sugarcube.”
“Let’s find a table then,” Shawn said with a grin as he gestured off to the side.
Big Mac slowly walked up to Grif. “Can we talk? In private?”
Grif signaled with his head before walking off. Big Mac slowly followed behind.
Omni sighed as he signed in to Skype, watching the loading circles spin and spin. He sighed.
“Guys, where are you?” The chat loaded up with its typical sound effects for new notes. However, much to Omni’s surprise, a new friend request appeared coupled with a message. Omni sighed. “Not again. I don’t need some random porn computer trying to infect my laptop, thank you.” Just as he was about to hover over the block button, a new message popped up.
[ ] “Before you push that button, do you want to know what happened to your friends?”
Omni stopped dead.
[Omni Kitsune July 20, 2014 8:45 P.M.] “Who are you?”
[ ] “Someone who wants to help.”
[Omni Kitsune July 20, 2014 8:46 P.M.] “And how do you plan to do that? You’re clearly hacking the system since you’re not leaving a name, or a time stamp. How am I supposed to trust you?”
[ ] “You can’t. But they’re going to need you all the same.”
Omni hovered over the mouse, wondering whether to click and report or not.
[ ] “By the divine sun, Wukong wants his butternut.”
[Omni Kitsune July 20, 2014 8:48] “What the heck was that?”
[ ] “Something I was told to tell you. They said you’d recognize that.”
[Omni Kitsune July 20, 2014 8:50 P.M.] “How the heck am I supposed to recognize that? It doesn’t even make any sense.”
[ ] “Look, I’m trying to help here, okay? Believe me or don’t. Either way, you’re seeing your friends soon. So be ready. Muffin Mare out.”
With that, the request closed, as did the mysterious message window.
“What the heck?” Omni signed out, brooding over what he had just experienced. Should he contact the police? Were his friends even missing? They clearly couldn’t access a computer. He sighed. For all he knew this could just be a hacker looking to steal his identity. Probably best to just leave it alone. He shoved it into the back of his mind and tried to focus on the task at hand. Still, try though he might, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything else. “Guys, what have you gotten yourselves into?”
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Dinky strikes again! Wonder if she's meddling on purpose, or Omni is needed in equestrian....
5992468
Wait and see, BronyofMeddlers, wait and see.
Camping trip looked to be nice and quiet, wasnt that Sweetie or Scoots Luna dream meetup?
Thing is Grif, if Dinky is chasing you down on a moving train instead of taking it back to base, is because it really shouldnt wait till you get back to base to find out about it. Also, WiFi reception is terrible in the mountains, so bandwidth of pidgeon is far higher.
I wonder if the medical block contains the stasis field, or somehow the medical buffer linked back through the transporter matrix like Scotty used in the Dyson Sphere?
Area 51 and The Skunkworks? Theyre going to need a bigger runway. Also they could use a linear canalised section of the river, or given the many variations locally, a weir with side pond, feeding into a breastshot wheel. Undershot are 25% maximum efficincy, overshot 50%, and breastshot 75%. Its to do with relative speed of water and wheel on action, breastshot have near zero relative speed, undershot have macximum difference and so least energy per unit water. If you make a hydraulic ram, you can feed a high speed pelton due to high pressure, but I cant remember what the inefficiny of the ram is given the Pelton at 95% is only 30% better at best than the breastshot
If Pensword is carrying strange spheres, are those grenades, or Bolas? and if they are Bolas, does that mean Hammerstrike will be thinking of upgrading to a Bolo's?
Great thing about magmatic intrusive dyke and sill metamorphic mass with hydrothermal deposits. You can pick up a whole range of rock and mineral types in a relatively small area. that quarry is definitely a keeper. Watch out for mudstone to shale and slate. In slab, that stuff can deflect hardened steel tip, and with a bit of processing can give you quartz, iron, and sapphire bulk.
Always nice to see Hammerstrike relaxing with a quick sparring session. Has Dash tried fast melee combat with him yet? I cant remember.
Maybe her 4 tree logging kick might actually move him, then AJ could see which could get a response out of bucking him, her, or Big Mac. 
I really, really like that hammer blade. Reminds me of the work I put in following International Rescues teaching. Use everything over the counter for commercial use, and modify it so it can be clicked together in combinations. A trowel on the end of a pole can be very useful in clearing out certain clogged pipes etc, or scooping out post holes.
Poor Omni, waiting still, Im wondering if Dinky was actually using Skype, or just hacked into his kernal instead and just overlayed her text response directly into the GUI. Also, which way is he going, and will he have a camping rig with him, or out of the shower with just his towel. then again, it worked for Ford Prefect.
I'll be honest, I expected more teamwork and coordination from the slayers.
It's "Guarde"
Capitalization slip-up.
There should be a comma before "dear", since it's used as a term of address.
Just a hunch, but was that supposed to be Babs Seed?
Dam allots of action in this chapter but still good. keep the good work upp, Night_Striker sinig out.
ps is there going to be a Pinkie rampage in futsur cous i go a felling it might be? whit all crazy ness whitch is happening,
5996092 [commences editing]
lolwut
I can fix this. I'm pretty positive about that.
Fixed it for you.
5996092
I hope you liked the action, and it was not too overloaded. Thank you for the compliment and yes we do plan on keeping up the good work. Things are moving along nicely I think.
As for your second part? That will have to be answered with what appears to be the cliche answer.
Wait and See.
After all, good things come to those that wait.
5994766
Thanks for pointing those mistakes out to me, Personal Gamer. I'll make sure to get to work fixing them as soon as I have the time. I do hope you're enjoying the story in the mean time though.
6009050
EDIT:
I misread the comment.
(Thank you Shawn820)
I thought you were commenting about Phoenix Down. Not the type of There or Their.
For that I am sorry for that misread. Do not worry that shall be edited as we get back to it.
I once again apologies for the misunderstanding on my end for what you are commenting.